Black leaders are upset, offended over remarks made by Republican Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance who told Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris “to go to hell” and refuses to apologize for his name-calling of the vice president.
Vance also refused to apologize for Trump breaking federal law by filming on a restricted portion of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) land for political purposes.
“Vance’s statements are not only immature but also indicative of a severe lack of character and strength,” Representative La Shawn Ford (D-8th) told the Chicago Crusader.
“The campaign for president is not just a race. It’s a test of one’s character and fortitude, and J.D. Vance continues to fall short. It is crucial for the American people to understand that if Trump, who is nearly 80 years old, wins, Vance would be next in line for the presidency,” Ford said.
“Trump and the Republicans may regret choosing him as a running mate, but America does not have to be stuck with him. As the late Mayor Harold Washington said, ‘politics ain’t beanbag,’ and J.D. Vance is clearly neither prepared for this campaign nor ready to represent the face of America the beautiful,” reasoned Ford.
Senator Mattie Hunter (D-3rd) said, “You resort to using negative words when feeling uncomfortable around a well- educated, qualified Black woman such as Vice President Kamala Harris.
“He knows that her intelligence level and IQ far outweigh his and his” so Vance “responds out of frustration with words like this,” Hunter stated.
This is not the first time Vance has called Harris out of her name.
He once referred to her as a “childless cat lady,” igniting a national backlash. He also compared her to former Miss Teen USA contestant Caitlin Upton, whose explanation of why Americans can’t find their country on a map didn’t make sense.
The Trump campaign is also under fire because of a perceived campaign photo. Last Monday, August 26, Trump visited Arlington Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony honoring 13 U.S. troops killed in a suicide bomb attack outside the Kabul airport in 2021 during the military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
ANC officials were outraged when he went to the Section 60 site of the cemetery, accompanied by the families of two Marines killed outside that airport. ANC rules state that Section 60 is reserved for soldiers who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and filming for campaign reasons is against federal law.
The United States Army issued a public statement denouncing two of Trump’s aides, including one who allegedly shoved an Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) employee who told them to stop filming on the restricted portion of the cemetery for what appeared to be political reasons.
Vance said neither he nor Trump need to apologize for being filmed on Section 60 of the ANC.